Cruising for sex, or cruising is the act of walking or driving about a locality in search of a sex partner, usually of the anonymous, casual, one-time variety.[1][2] The term is also used when technology is used to find casual sex, such as using an Internet site or a telephone service.[3][4]
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Origin and historical usage
In a specifically sexual context, the term "cruising" originally emerged as an argot "code word" in gay slang, by which those "in the know" would understand the speaker's unstated sexual intent, whereas most heterosexuals, on hearing the same word in the same context, would normally misread the speaker's intended meaning in the word's more common (and presumably less threatening) nonsexual sense. This served (and in some contexts, still serves) as a protective sociolinguistic mechanism for gay men to recognize not only each other, but those who may wish to do them harm in broader societies noted for their homophobia.
In the latter half of the twentieth century, decriminalization of homosexual behaviour increasingly became the norm in English-speaking countries. The protective barrier once provided by the term "cruising" as a "code word" has therefore largely broken down, and arguably, become increasingly irrelevant. Thus the specifically sexual meaning of the term has passed into common usage to include the sexual behavior of heterosexual persons, as well.
Regional usage variants
As with all argot, regional variants abound. In the United States, the term "cruising" continues to predominantly denote exclusively homosexual behaviour. In Australia and the United Kingdom, however, it is used by both homosexuals and heterosexuals to describe their own behaviour, as witnessed in the common male heterosexual derivative phrase "cruising for chicks".[5][6][7]
Historic examples of usage
The term has been enshrined since at least the mid-1970s in the name of the gay bar Foxes Booze 'n' Cruise, located on Historic US Highway 66 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Before closing, the business came under criticism for allegedly encouraging drunk driving by some who did not understand the term's historic usage, but the name and the sign remain a conscious reminder of gay history.
The term has also been adopted, in an altered form, by the website qruiser.com, an online LGBT community based in Sweden. This is a tongue in cheek reference, however, as the community functions as a forum for social interaction for the Scandinavian region, rather than focusing on exclusively sexual encounters. The website has also attracted many heterosexual members as well.
In the UK, Hampstead Heath in London (especially the West Heath) is a well known and, arguably, accepted area for cruising activity to take place. The Hampstead Ponds are particularly central to this lifestyle, with various areas within the locality catering to different interests of cruisers.[8][9]
In popular culture
Cruising for sex is alluded to in songs such as "Cruisin' the Streets" by the Boys Town Gang as well as "I'm a Cruiser" by the Village People.
See also
- Gay bathhouse
- Glory hole (sexual)
- Cottaging
- Gay beat
- Dogging
- Gay cruising in the United Kingdom
- Troll (gay)
References
- ^ "2News Exposes Men 'Cruising' For Sex In Public Parks". KUTV - Salt Lake City, Utah. 2007. http://www.kutv.com/content/news/specialreport/story/2News-Exposes-Men-Cruising-For-Sex-In-Public-Parks/xwpv6-gaiUOuCtp5MLPzog.cspx. Retrieved 19 May 2008. Published: 11-14-2007
- ^ Kilgannon, Corey (2005). "A Sex Stop on the Way Home". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/21/nyregion/21cruise.html?ex=1284955200&en=d2a1e369a9d01c1f&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss. Retrieved 28 March 2006. Published: 9-21-2005 Article from NYT about a cruising area in New York City
- ^ "Cruising". The Rainbow Project. http://www.rainbow-project.org/dev/taxonomy/term/4. Retrieved 5 March 2009.
- ^ Jacobs, Ethan (6 April 2008). "On the Hunt :: Manhunt.net leads the Gay Wide Web". Bay Windows. http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=&sc2=features&sc3=&id=72585. Retrieved 5 March 2009.
- ^ Revolver. Jan 2007. p. 42. ISSN 1527408X. "For display purposes and cruising for chicks at the Renaissance fair only...".
- ^ Texas Monthly. 17. November 1989. ISSN 01487736. "People sat on trunks and hoods and partied, while the center two lanes were bumper to bumper with cars cruising for sex and drugs.".
- ^ Carpenter, Humphrey (1981), W. H. Auden: A Biography, George Allen & Unwin, p. 97, ISBN 0049280449, "The length of the list might suggest that Auden was in the habit of 'cruising' - picking up boys for casual sex"
- ^ Paul Waugh (December 9, 2004). "Pay for Hampstead clear-up, gays told". The Evening Standard (London). p. 7. "The gay community is being urged to foot the £70,000 a year bill for cleaning up after "cruising" on Hampstead Heath."
- ^ Masters, Tom; Fallon, Steve; Maric, Vesna (2008), London: city guide (6 ed.), Lonely Planet, p. 170, ISBN 9781741047127, http://books.google.com/books?id=VpaytmFdQbIC
External links
- Rainbow Project harm reduction ideas on cruising for sex.
- "The Little Black Book: This one can keep you out of trouble" from Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund; also available here. Additionally published as "Little Black Book: This one will keep you out of trouble" in PDF format; also available here. An article that gives legal advice on cruising for sex. Note that if one actually carries this article on one while cruising it could possibly be used as evidence of intent.
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